Emotional Intelligence as a Predictor of Work-Life Balance with the Moderating Effect of Coworker Support

Abstract

In the modern day employment context, with extensive demands placed on professionals, they are facing the challenge of striking a balance between their personal life and work-life, irrespective of whether they work in the state or the private sector. With the strenuous nature of the job and the limited amount of research tapping this area it was identified as appropriate to look at how the medical doctors strike a balance between their work and personal life. Accordingly, this study fills that gap in knowledge by looking at how Emotional Intelligence (EI) competency of doctors impact on their ability of striking a Work-Life Balance (WLB). EI is a cross-section of emotional and social competencies that determine how well people understand and express themselves, understand and relate with others, and cope with their daily demands and pressures. Further, it was tested whether the perceived co-worker support which is a key construct associated with work in the health sector is moderating this relationship between the independent and the dependent variable. EI was measured using the Trait Meta-mood scale whereas WLB was measured using the scale adopted by Rangreji (2010). Items measuring perceived co-worker support were adapted from the perceived organizational support scale used by Wayne, Shore, and Liden (1997). Data were collected from a sample of 244 doctors working in teaching hospitals using a self-administered questionnaire. The impact of EI on WLB was tested using simple regression analysis, whereas the impact of the moderating variable on this relationship was tested using the moderated multiple regression analysis. Results indicated that EI has a significant predicting effect on WLB of medical doctors and that relationship was significantly moderated by perceived co-worker support. Finally theoretical and practical implications are discussed.